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Vermond
said, The Queen is happily delivered, Her Majesty was nearly suffocated.
I had hold of her hand, and as I said 'La regina e andato', mistaking
'andato' for 'nato', between the joy of giving birth to a son and the
pressure of the crowd, Her Majesty fainted. Overcome by the dangerous
situation in which I saw my royal mistress, I myself was carried out of
the room in a lifeless state. The situation of Her Majesty was for some
time very doubtful, till the people were dragged with violence from about
her, that she might have air. On her recovering, the King was the first
person who told her that she was the mother of a very fine Princess.

"'Well, then,' said the Queen, 'I am like my mother, for at my birth she
also wished for a son instead of a daughter; and you have lost your
wager:' for the King had betted with Maria Theresa that it would be a
son.

"The King answered her by repeating the lines Metastasio had written on
that occasion.

Author of the Day

Diane Pomerantz

Dr. Diane Pomerantz has been a practising psychologist in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for over 35 years. She recently published her memoir, Reflecting Pool, telling a story that is both tender and horrifying. It chronicles the psychological journey of her survival within and ultimate escape from an emotionally abusive relationship with a narcissist. As our Author of the Day, Pomerantz gives us a glimpse into what it took to write this novel.